Deep Dark Confessions, Part 2

Sweet fancy Moses but the last couple of weeks has been crazy for me! Between working 12 hour shifts, a general lack of sleep, and trying to not to go completely insane from cabin fever, I haven't had a lot of time to write. Thankfully life is getting back to normal and I"ll be moving to a normal 9-5 schedule at work, so I’ll definitely be able to create a more regular writing schedule for myself. Additionally, I’ll be attempting my first podcast this weekend, so check back on Monday for that.

Last time I talked about the positive impact and videogames have had on my life so, as promised, I would like to now address the negative effects videogames can have on people. Every other week it seems like there is a new TV host, politician, or other angry citizen laying the blame for all of society’s ills on videogames, but I will strive to be a little more rational than these wackjobs. According to them, a person would think that before the advent of videogames the world was a peaceful and happy place, bereft of any kind of violence or immorality. Because it’s not like there were ever things like world wars, unspeakable violence, or indecent behavior before videogames.

Oh wait, there was. Lots of it.

Videogames cannot and should not be blamed for all the problems of the world, but that does not mean they are free of danger. Many videogames feature moderate to extreme amounts of violence and/or place the player in a moral vacuum where murder and mayhem are required to progress in the game (GTA, I’m looking at you here, buddy). Children should not be allowed to play these games, just as they should not be exposed to any type of media without the proper context. For lack of a better term, children are insane, impressionable, little monkeys without any type of filter through which to judge the world. Would you let an insane, impressionable, little monkey without any type of filter through which to judge the world be shown an incredibly violent scenario and expect them to sort it out as a mature adult would? If so, please contact me so I can meet you and give you the smack upside the head you so richly deserve. If not, congratulation! You realize that what children hear and see can have an effect on them. Videogames can set a bad example for children, but it is up to the family to set an example and pay attention to what the child is doing and foster healthy development.

Another negative effect is the possibility of videogame addiction. This is an issue that has only recently come to light and an interesting discussion on the topic from NPR can be found here (I can’t say I agree with the "videogames are bad” tone many of the guests take, though). I myself have never been physically or mentally addicted to anything, but I do have an addictive personality. If I encounter something that I really resonates with me I find that I am unable to pry myself away until I am finished with it, be it a certain television show, a video game, a book, or a project that I am working on. It’s a habit that, combined with my inclination to procrastinate, has always proved a bit of a nuisance, but it is something I have never allowed to get in the way of my career, education, or personal life. Still, I can understand how it could be possible for some people to develop a dependency on videogames, just as it is apparently possible for genetically disposed person to develop an addiction to almost anything. Again, videogames have a potential downside, but nothing more than what one would encounter with anything else in the world.

Nothing in this world is completely good or completely bad, and as such the existence of videogames has both positive and negative consequences for the world. Yes, they can entertain people and, at least in the case of my childhood, present good role models for them to follow, but they can also showcase bad role models and poor behavior. As a gamer, whenever I hear someone belittle my cherished pastime my first inclination is to immediately shoot back without really thinking about the point they were making. It’s a fleeting sensation, thankfully, and while I do eventually make myself think about what the person was saying, there are many people on both sides of the fence that refuse to listen to any differing opinion at all. Such an attitude is probably the single greatest threat that any society can face, as evident by the many conflicts civilization has seen within the last century and prior, and it is far greater than any danger videogames could ever pose.

Can’t we all just get along?